Opening 28 Nov 2024
Directed by:
Steve McQueen
Writing credits:
Steve McQueen
Principal actors:
Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clémentine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller
During the Second World War London suffered from Nazi Germany’s over eight-month (September 7, 1940 – May 11, 1941) bombing campaign against the UK. This onslaught came to be known as “The Blitz.” More than 40,000 civilians were killed, and 60% of the two million properties destroyed or damaged were in London. Nevertheless, the British people and Winston Churchill did not buckle under, rather they earned the respect of countless countries for their solidarity and steadfastness. Children were evacuated to the countryside, the government ordered the Underground transit system locked during air raids in 1939, but revoked that once heavy bombing began, and women stepped into jobs in munitions, ship/airplane factories, driving ambulances, fire engines, trams, et al.
Writer-director Steve McQueen focuses on one family to show the bigger picture of London’s “Blitzy” lifestyle. Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and George (Elliott Heffernan) are very close, so it is with great difficulty that she finally agrees with her father (Paul Weller) to send him to the country. At the train station, and like any pubescent boy doing something against his will, he acts the brat. Which sets the pattern for the rest of the film. Rita works at the munitions factory with friends (Sally Messham, Erin Kellyman, Hayley Squires) whose grit and humor get them through the hard times, besides using their voices in opposition to government foolishness. Flashbacks fill-in background information regarding Rita and Marcus (CJ Beckford), George’s father. And young George—well, he has more than his fair share of adventures while meeting a lot of new people: Cathy (Thea Achillea), three brothers (Thomas Aitch, Charlie Hodson-Prior, Tommy Daley), Ife (Benjamin Clémentine), Jess (Mica Ricketts), and Albert (Stephen Graham), et al.
The cast is good, and McQueen’s screenplay contains important societal topics. Besides women’s issues, there is racism and ethnicity, bullying, degradation and name-calling, and the power of kindness, music, and respect. One scene with Rita and Marcus tells volumes about naïveté and the discrimination, another segment between Ife and George is wonderfully life affirming. Yorick Le Saux’s camerawork does not falter, and Adam Stockhausen’s production design meets the challenges of the period. Whereas Peter Sciberras’s drawn-out histrionic editing (McQueen indulges in melodrama) adds length, not quality. In fact, it is not too hard to guess the ending before we get there. And then there is Hans Zimmer’s soppy music for overkill; music supervisor Gabe Hilfer does a great job. The film’s strong points overshadow its glitches. Make sure you are in your seat as Blitz starts for the ultimate “Blitzy” experience. (Marinell Haegelin)
